Alone
by ThSamurai
Summary: Why did Dr. Light really rob that bank at the end of 'Titans Together? In finding out, Jinx finds herself waking up alone and in a completely abandoned Jump City. Jinx/KidFlash
1. The Lone Road

This little short story is dedicated to two very good friends of mine; **Sizzlin-Starry-Night-Sky, **and** xStarfirexRobinxo**. I'm so glad I got to know them and I wouldn't trade that for anything. This is for you two! Enjoy!

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Chapter One

The Lone Road

"Dudes! Check it out…..BRAIN FREEZE!!" Amidst Beast Boy's laughter the multitude of heroes and heroines groaned from the pain of hearing such a massively horrible joke.

--AA--

TITANS TOWER………..

They all filed inside, no doubt in the mood for a long awaited break. Jinx intentionally hung back, deciding that perhaps it would be best to silently take her leave. Just as she began turning away, a red and yellow blur zoomed in front of her and blocked her path. Kid Flash, a smirk adorning his face and his arms folded, stood ready to keep her from leaving.

"Going somewhere?" Jinx almost swayed on the spot. She couldn't help but avoid eye contact with him. "Hey Jinx…..you still here?"

"I-I um…I'm not sure if I should go in there?" Kid Flash's face housed confusion.

"What?"

Jinx shook her head. "I think I should just go." She began to move around him but his arms caught her around the waist. "Let me go."

"Jinx, trust me I know these guys."

"I was their enemy for-"

"But you're not anymore!" exclaimed Kid Flash. Jinx's eyes studied him oddly. Kid Flash ran a hand through his hair. "Okay fine, you were criminal and Hive agent. The second part was hardly your fault seeing how you were brainwashed."

"Look, Kid Flash-"

"Wally, please." Jinx smiled.

"Wally, I appreciate what you're doing. But I know how grudges go and I did things that would certainly facilitate some mean memories." Wally rolled his eyes.

"You see that is what we, that is I, call…"quitter" talk. You helped us bring down some pretty bad guys; ergo you are not a bad guy but a good guy..gal….whatever. You're coming in."

Beast Boy fell upon the half circle couch within their enormous living room. "Home sweet home!" Cyborg marveled at the view from the equally large window.

"I sure did miss this place-"

"Cool pad!" Kid Flash surprised Cyborg from behind. The red and yellow speedster zipped about the common room. Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy gawked at the number of Titans spread throughout their operations center. Kid Flash found his way to the refrigerator and after retrieving a snack offered a portion of it to Jinx. Then, without warning the Titan alarm rang throughout the tower while also displaying their insignia on the giant screen. Robin was quick to answer the call. As soon as he did so a screen display of none other than Dr. Light was shown. The footage depicted him blasting apart a bank vault and robbing the precious items within.

With her hands laced together Starfire posed, "The Dr. Light?"

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," droned Raven.

--AA--

The peaceful tranquility of downtown Jump City remained calm as ever, that is until the revolving doors of the city bank were blown away with terrific force. The meager villain emerged from the resulting smoke carrying piles of moneybags. Unbeknownst to Dr. Light, The city's heroes lay in wait for him upon the roof of the bank.

"Maybe we oughta show him who he's up against," suggested Cyborg.

"He's totally gonna freak this time," said Raven. Behind them the mass of honorary Titans also stood ready. Sure it was a bit of overkill, if the expression could be forgiven, but months of fighting the Brotherhood had born a sense of impatience. Robin extended his staff and gave his signature command.

"Titans GO!" Dr. Light froze on the spot. He, like so many other nemeses of the Titans, knew those two words like someone knows the sound of a gun shot. Grinding his teeth, Dr. Light swiveled on the spot. He had not expected every Teen Titan on Earth to converge on him but there they stood and an expression of abject terror on his face.

"Uh…."

"You could just make this easy on yourself," said Raven. For a moment they figured this would end as every one of Dr. Light's encounters with Raven would. The apprehension and fright was in his eyes but it somehow faded. He then put on a smile that would have rivaled the worst poker face in the history of poker faces.

"Well there's certainly many of you. FINE THEN!" He took a few paces backward. "The more, the merrier." He dropped his loot and began running down the street. The Titans stood bemused.

"Robin?" asked Starfire

"Titans! After him!" The group of well over two dozen split up to cover more ground. Dr. Light was surprisingly quick for a man with so much energized technology strapped to his person. It was obvious he had instigated a highly risky gamble against the Titans. There were no allies of his or any other delinquents to back him up. Kid Flash surprised the villain by running straight into him. Dr. Light hit the ground with a painful thud.

"You know, for a guy who uses light as a weapon…..you're not very bright."

"Ha ha," muttered Dr. Light. He out sped the speedster with a quick blast of pulsing light. Kid Flash hit the ground with a painful groan. Dr. Light stood over him bearing a prideful smirk. "It would seem that neither are you." His gloating was short lived. An electrified disk exploded near his feet. With an aggravated growl he look upwards to see Robin and a gaggle Titans flowing behind him. "That's it heroes, come get me," the villain whispered. Utilizing a powerful blast from his suit, he formed a whole in the street and dropped down to the sewer.

Robin and the other Titans following him paused at the mouth of the opening. "Stay alert, this isn't like him. Nobody goes anywhere alone." They nodded and one of after other they dived down into the hole. Kid Flash's eyes slowly opened and he saw Jinx leaning over him.

"You okay?"

He smirked and placed his hands behind his head like a pillow. "Fantastic, a most lovely sight to wake up to."

"Oh shut up." She sprang up from his side and leapt down into the hole. Her feet hit the water with a splash and she nearly turned green. "Nice…"

"Is he seriously being this much of a pain?" Kid Flash had joined her.

"I guess, I've never met the guy but the general consensus was that he's a huge pushover."

"Shall we?" asked Kid Flash. He held out his arm and despite her desire and rising temperature she declined. The two trekked deeper into the underbelly of Jump City. Sometimes they would run into another Titan, update each other, and then be on their way. At the moment they searched with Cyborg, his shoulder lamp providing some much needed light.

"Man this is seriously getting on my nerves. How can a guy like this suddenly be so slippery?" Jinx silently shrugged. Her foot passed over a rat and the resulting squeak caused her to shriek and leap into Kind Flash's arms. After her breathing returned to normal she realized the position she was in and found Wally grinning at her.

"Welcome to the life and day of a Teen Titan." She let out a hopeless sigh. A sound ahead caught their attention and the two parted. Cyborg pointed his light and illuminated none other than Dr. Light. He chuckled evilly and took off running.

"YO! FREEZE!" Cyborg's sonic cannon fired a warning shot but the villain did not stop. Growling, Cyborg activated his arm comm. link. "Robin, I've got him. He's head'n west."

Robin's voice crackled over the radio. "_We're on our way!_" The three took up the chase, leaving inhibition and worry in the dust. Their path converged with three others and the entire group found themselves once again traveling as one. There were no longer any turns or corners for their target to travel through. Sooner or later they would find him. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to them, that was exactly what Dr. Light wanted. Cyborg glanced at his arm screen, which at the moment displayed a detailed three dimensional rendering of the sewer system.

"Cyborg?" asked Robin.

"He's run himself to a dead end, we've got him."

"Alright, Titans! Close in!" The entire group rounded the bend and skidded to a halt. Before them stood a proud and confident Dr. Light and to his right was a piece of machinery which chilled them to the bone.

"Yes, I'm sure you all very happy to see this." His hand patted an active and ready chronoton detonator. "The time has come for me to finally make fools of you, heroes." Starfire suppressed a loud gasp with a hand over her mouth. Even Kid Flash, Mas and Menos were stiffened by the sight of it.

"You CAN'T!" Shouted Robin. "If you set that off, you'll be trapped too!" Light only laughed insanely.

"You let me worry about that part, Robin." His eyes roamed over the whole group. "You have all made a terrible mistake today!" His finger was poised over the trigger remote in his hand. "You've underestimated me for too long and now you're going to pay for it." Robin's face was one among many with gritted teeth. "With a single button push I shall do what the Brotherhood of Evil could not; I shall eliminate the Titan threat once and for all!"

"NOOO!" Screamed Robin. Light's finger slammed upon the button, draining the color from the heroes faces. There could be no doubt that unlike Slade's detonator, this one would certainly function as intended. A growing charge was heard from the machine. Each separated section began collapsing into the other. It must have been the most glorious moment in Dr. Light's immoral life.

From a previously unknown place in her heart, Jinx suddenly discovered a rising level of courage. Before she could stop herself Jinx had sprinted forward and tackled Light against the wall.

Jinx NO!" cried Wally. The two wrestled with each other, both powers and abilities blazing against one another. Light landed a punch upon Jinx's face and her eyes rolled up into her head. She fell upon the supercharged device and her hand, alight with her powers, sent several electric jolts running through it. The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. Dr. Light stared dumbly at his ruined machine, which at that moment started making another sound which could be described as anything but good. He shook his head madly, cursing the Titan's name as he ran past them down the tunnel. Kind Flash took flight from the group, intent on saving Jinx. His quick stepping feet didn't travel far before the machine exploded and bathed everything around it in a blinding light.

"JINX!" There followed a shockwave powerful enough to throw all present off their feet and nearly bring the entire tunnel upon them. The resounding bang subsided as did the dust and debris. Starfire lay dazed and unmoving until a loose rock fell upon her head.

"Ow! Ohhh…..e-everyone? Is anyone okay?" Following Starfire, everyone was soon either sitting or back on their feet. Gnarrk used himself as a shield by completely wrapping himself around Kole, thus she was unharmed. Raven helped Robin upright, a gesture he promptly thanked her for. Robin dusted his gloves off and noticed Kid Flash standing before a smoking crater. The boy wonder approached him from behind and hung his head.

"I'm sorry." Kid Flash barely heard him. He blocked out everyone and everything except for the blackened hole before him, and the new yellow communicator in his hand……the one he had planned on giving Jinx just hours ago.

* * *

Jinx laid on her stomach with one her arms hanging limply over her back. A gentle breeze flowed through her hair and over skin, almost as though it were a mother trying to rouse her child for school. Her lungs suddenly woke and she took in a rapid staggering breaths. Moaning painfully, she sat up and fell against a nearby wall. As soon as she did a cloud of dust was forced in the air and she coughed horribly. Stumbling to her feet the heroine wobbled across the floor and fell into a pile of wood. Jinx remained where she was for the moment. Her mind felt as though it was intoxicated. Every thought sent her whirling into nausea.

"W-Wall…Wally!" Her strained voice didn't carry the name very far. Finally she picked herself back up and looking about she saw that she was no longer in the sewer. Jinx stood in a very small one story building, the windows for which were tightly boarded and sealed. Only a few cracks of light showed through and resonated with the thick cloud of dust in the air. She knew she had to get out of there. Every second she spent in that suffocating cloud meant that more of it ended up in her lungs. Looking around, Jinx spotted a door; boarded just like the windows. She had no official Titan comm. link but she did have an ear piece tuned to the same frequency.

"Hel-Hello?" She stuttered. "Is anyone there…..?" Her only response was static and snow. Her vision grew blurry, it was now or never. She was not in the proper frame of mind to the judge the door's strength thus she only pushed against it. The metal hinges snapped apart like peanut brittle and the door fell flat forward. Jinx quickly emerged from the resulting cloud it kicked up. As soon as her eyes were able to refocus they widened and her mouth remained opened.

Before Jinx was, without a doubt Jump City, but it was completely and entirely abandoned. The setting sun produced a reddish glow over the thousands of failing buildings. Vines and foliage made their home on any surface they could find, mainly up along the building walls. Tall grass and wheat grew up from the cracked asphalt of the streets. Hundreds of earthen mounds scattered throughout were actually cars which ended up buried over by a renegade earth. And off in the distance, windows cracked and looking decrepit and worn, was Titans Tower. Jinx's stare continued to pan around at the city, wondering what was happening to her. One thing was for sure; there was not a single other human being in sight.

* * *

Short, I know. But that's how it's supposed to be. Hope this haunting beginning was enjoyable enough for you guys and more will follow soon! Hopefully. Laters!


	2. The Remnant

Okay, it got pointed out to me that there are a few details here and there in the last chapter that I failed to pay attention to. Yes, Starfire should have been sneezing the closer they got to the detonator. I was in such a hurry to get this out that I just plum forgot. Oh well. And thank you very much to this story's first reviewers; **Tennisgal456, xStarfirexRobinxo, Titania400.** You guys rock so hard! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Two

The Remnant

Before Jinx was, without a doubt Jump City, but it was completely and entirely abandoned. The setting sun produced a reddish glow over the thousands of failing buildings. Vines and foliage made their home on any surface they could find, mainly up along the building walls. Tall grass and wheat grew up from the cracked asphalt of the streets. Hundreds of earthen mounds scattered throughout were actually cars which ended up buried over by a renegade earth. And off in the distance, windows cracked and looking decrepit and worn, was Titans Tower. Jinx's stare continued to pan around at the city, wondering what was happening to her. One thing was for sure; there was not a single other human being in sight.

Jinx took a few blind steps forward. Her negligent attitude toward the terrain caused her to almost loose her footing several times. It was impossible. How could she have gone from deep underground to some random house overlooking the city? As Jinx's mind raced she began to wonder if she was still on the same planet or, for that matter, the same dimension. Her right hand wandered upward until she reached her neck so she could lightly scratch it.

"Oh no," she muttered. It was about that time that the possibility that it was just a horrible nightmare was slipping away. She was not unconscious or dreaming, she was lost and alone. The newcomer heroine took two more steps and her left foot sank through the earth. "AHH!" A sharp pain resonated up and down her leg; she knew well that she had cut herself. She paused where she fell for a moment, shaking and taking many quick breaths. Oddly enough, the hole she fell through felt perfectly rectangular. An eerie feeling of liquid moving down her leg confirmed her suspicions about her injury. Very slowly and carefully, Jinx lifted her leg out of the hole. Sure enough, when her leg was fully in view, she saw a long cut from her shin up to her knee. She heard the sounds of crinkling glass and came to the conclusion that she had, among many of the covered automobiles, stepped upon one with a weakened sunroof.

Jinx groaned irritably, "Great." Her next task was to look around for anything immediate that she could use to cover her wound. Unfortunately there was nothing, leaving Jinx with the only option of using a piece of her own clothing. After staggering to her feet, Jinx limped the rest of the way down the hill and into the city.

--AAA--

Immediately Jinx was struck by the stark difference of this Jump City versus the one she just came from. Something about the creeping vines moving up the buildings made them seem taller and menacing. Her lone steps and crunching of leaves didn't echo in the slightest. The myriad of darkened windows were like portraits with eyes that followed her every move. As with most cities with tall buildings, a slight guest of wind was somehow magnified but the wind tunnel like quality of the skyscrapers. A torrent of leaves and dust was blown into her face. She moved her hands before her face as though trying to swat a swarm of pesky flies. The tiny tornado subsided and Jinx brushed herself clean. Rounding a corner, she saw a series of pay phones lined against a wall. There didn't seem to be any power running through Jump City, but she felt it was worth a try to make a call. She grasped the nearest phone but as soon as she pulled off the hook the metal wire came free easily and then the receiver fell apart in her hand. She gasped slightly, surprised by its fragility. The purple haired teen looked along the wall at all the pay phones. It was more than likely that if she tried another one she would only get the same result. She placed a hand upon the cold brick of the building before her. Giving it a slight push, Jinx's hand easily broke through the deteriorating brick. She pulled her hand out, crumbling what she retrieved into sand. With gritted teeth and steadily falling tears, Jinx threw down the sand and limped into the middle of the street.

HEEELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Her voice echoed and lingered in the air for quite a while, still it was her only answer. She turned in place, looking at random windows for any sign of life. She held her leg for a moment then cupped her hands around her mouth. "HELLO! HELLO! ANYONE!" The wind blew and the stillness of her surroundings remained ever quiet with the passing of her voice. Anger boiled within the pit of her stomach. With a savage growl she let her powers loose and they struck what was left of the bank as well as the post office. Like dominos, the two buildings collapsed beside one another. And then all was silent again. Perhaps she did it hoping some do-gooder would spring into action to stop her and she would not be entirely by herself. But no one came. No one answered her call. Jinx fell to her knees and then toppled to the ground as quickly and as ungracefully as the bank.

Her tears flowed freely now. "Anyone……" Some people are afraid of snakes, others are afraid of heights; Jinx was terrified of being alone. At the moment she did anything she could think of to take her mind away from reality. She remembered the first rose Wally had ever left for her. The more she concentrated on it the more she swore she could actually smell its aroma. How she hated him back then. He was so darn irritating; with his boyish smirk and always assuming everything he did was charming.

A tiny grin painted over Jinx's face as she realized everything he did was kind of charming. How she wished he was here with her right now. How she wished anyone was here with her.

"_J…Jin…..?_" The imaginary sound in her ear subsided. "_Jinx….Jinx?_" Jinx's head perked up. For a moment she thought she heard a garbled sound coming from her earpiece. "_Jinx, are you there?_" The young heroine bolted back up to her feet. She was by no means imagining anything, someone was speaking to her and it sounded like;

"Raven?" she asked, holding two fingers to her ear.

"_Yes it's me_." Jinx's eyes fluttered to a close and she breathed in a heavy sigh of massive relief. She found a stable enough wall to lean on.

"Oh my God, Raven. You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice. I thought I was to loose my mind."

"_Are you okay?_" asked Raven.

Jinx glanced down at her leg. "I cut my leg pretty bad."

"_No worries, we'll take care of that. Where are you_?"

"I'm in Jump City," said Jinx tiresomely.

"_Really?_" There was surprise in Raven's voice. Jinx replied in the affirmative. "_Wow, we're getting luckier by the minute._" Jinx's face screwed up.

"Lucky? You call this lucky? She waved a hand over the dilapidated Jump City. She wiped a layer of sweat off her head. "Raven, you wanna tell me what's going on?"

"_Absolutely, I'm sure you have a mile long list of questions-look……come to Titans Tower._" Now even more confused, Jinx removed herself from the wall and moved around the block. She stared off in the distance at the tower.

"Have you seen the tower lately?"

"_I know what it looks like, don't worry there are some preserved rooms inside. Please, just come over._" Jinx shrugged and quickly began her journey across town. She was slightly immobilized by her leg, thus the trek to the shoreline was a long and arduous one. By the time she reached the water the sun was almost below the horizon. She placed a pensive finger to her lips as she thought about how she was going to get to the island. Her eyes strayed to her left then darted back as she spotted a few boats floating freely. She happily moved the first one within reached but just as she began to step in she paused. She mentally relived her encounter with the sunroof. Looking about, Jinx found a large rock and thus her test subject. She gave it a gentle toss and the rock crashed through the four inch thick metal hull of the boat like a bullet. There might as well have been sad trumpet music playing as Jinx watched it slowly sink. Detracted, she blew out a puff of air and tapped her earpiece.

"Raven?...You there?"

"_Yeah, anything wrong?_"

"The boats are useless, is the tunnel working?"

"_Uhhh not likely, look I know it's not your first choice but you're just going to have to swim over._" Jinx's face embodied reluctance. "_Don't worry there's nothing in the water, it's just cold._"

"Yeah, 'just cold', alright…I'm coming." Just as Jinx had feared, the instant the water touched her; the ice cold temperature easily permeated her clothes. The temptation to run as fast as she could back onto dry land was overwhelming if not constantly nagging. The initial shock is more or less the worst part and, taking this to heart, the pink haired enchantress dove head first into the ocean. A scream of pain bubbled within the pit of stomach, but there it was forced to remain. All of her attention and strength was focused on swimming the channel between the mainland and Titans Tower. She soon popped up above the water's surface and resumed swimming. Though the water was without a doubt cold, it was not dangerously frigid as it normally was during the winter season. The entire trip across the channel, Jinx could have sworn something was swimming around her, as though waiting for the right moment to strike. She demoted the thought to nothing more than sheer paranoia and resolved to complete her journey.

After what seemed like two eternities, Jinx's hands and feet felt earth beneath them. She slowly emerged from the water onto the island of Titans Tower; the wind provided a merciless gust of cold air. She kept her arms hugged around herself for the slightest amount of warmth. Soon Jinx was standing the set of large thick metal doors which acted as the Titan's front door. Her teeth chattering and her body shaking, she glanced at the nearby keypad. She knew it was for naught but Jinx attempted an input of her access code; the doors remained firmly shut. She shook her head hopelessly; there was simply not enough power to part the large gate.

Yet again Jinx grew impatient to the point of using her powers almost recklessly. Her energy stuck the doors and forced them to part just enough for her to slip through. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light in the main entrance hall, she saw that the chairs normally lined along the hallway were covered with fading sheets. Upon laying her hand on one it crumbled in her fingers. She gasped and backed away quickly.

"What's happened to me?" she wondered aloud. Suddenly she remembered why she was here and craned her neck skyward. "Raven! I'm here!...Where are you?" Jinx pivoted on her heel, and upon turning saw Raven materialize directly in front of her.

"Hey Jinx!"

"AHH-Oh dear God!" Jinx's surprise forced her to jump back a good ten feet. Raven remained calmly in place and Jinx's eyes stared madly at her. The Raven before her was dressed in her short lived white garments and had apparently allowed her hair to grow far past her shoulders, though it was very neatly kept. Her face was undoubtedly aged, with age old experience shining through her eyes. Just by looking at her, Jinx could tell that she had barely grown another inch. Raven then smiled broadly and actually chuckled a few times.

"Wow, there are some things you can spend an entire lifetime preparing yourself for……..and yet when the time comes you still feel at a loss." Jinx could only stare speechlessly at her. Raven's voice was also different, taking on a tired and exhausted tone. "It is….so good to see you again-" Raven stepped forward but Jinx immediately recoiled. Raven slowly raised her hands. "Its okay, Jinx……..it's me, Raven."

"But…b-but you're a-a hologram?"

Raven softly smiled and nodded. "Uhh yeah, sorry." Jinx then studied her oddly.

"Are you smiling and-and laughing?" As though to prove that she was, Raven did indeed laugh and reply in the affirmative.

"Well the chaotic side of my powers doesn't really affect me in this form."

Jinx protruded an index finger at her aged colleague. "Are you alive? Please tell me you're not dead."

"Oh I'm alive alright, and I'm here in the tower." Jinx closed her eyes momentarily in relief. "I meant to greet you in person but some….things beyond my control have come up. Years ago Cyborg developed an emergency hologram system to help me with triage in sickbay; later it was augmented for me to be able to communicate with you." Jinx cocked her head to one side.

"You look…..good."

"Oh well, thank you. At the risk of sounding a tad vain I did look pretty good in my late forties."

Jinx paced around for a moment, Raven's followed her. Finally, the young heroine stopped moving.

"Raven, can you please tell me what's going on?"

"Right, of course you probably have a myriad of questions. We need should probably also get you into some dry clothes. Go to sickbay, I'll meet you there." Jinx was far too tired to argue and Raven disappeared before she was even capable. Her quick tour of the tower righteously paid off, for she was swift to find her way to the upper level medical facility.

--AAA--

Due to her experience with the main gate, it came as a surprise to Jinx when the doors to sickbay swished smoothly open for her. A low humming could be heard throughout sickbay and the lights were dimmed to almost completely darkened levels.

"Raven?"

"I'm here." The holo-form of Raven appeared beside Jinx and held out a set of dry clothes for her. Jinx was confused not only by how Raven was handing her a new set of her normal wear, but also by the fact that she was actually holding them.

"You're a hologram, right?" Raven nodded. "Then how can you hold things?"

"Sickbay is the only place that I can; the holo emitters are stronger in here. Cyborg spent almost nine years perfecting the details. Now hold still." Raven then passed a device which released a wide beam over Jinx's wound. Within seconds the long cut was sealed and Jinx felt pain no longer. "Medical science picked up a few new tricks along the way." Raven then ushered a wowed Jinx to a place of privacy.

Jinx's voice floated through the enclosure as she changed. "You said you're here in the tower. Did you mean sickbay?"

"Yes, all the power conduits have been rerouted here in order to ensure this place never died down." Soon Jinx emerged from her cubical; dry, warm, and ready to hear some answers. She stepped before the white clad Raven and shrugged.

"Okay, so where are you?" Raven smiled and looked to her left. Jinx followed her gaze and a corner containing a stasis tube was illuminated. Jinx stared at its occupant, it was certainly Raven but she was noticeably older than the one speaking with her. "I don't get it, in there you must be at least……I don't know-eighty?"

"Eighty-two, actually." Jinx turned an arched brow at the holographic counterpart. "Okay so I like the late forties version of myself a little better." Jinx shook her head as she turned it back to Raven's tube. "Once again Cyborg's ingenuity goes a long way here. He designed a neural interface to allow me to access the tower's holo-matrix in order to interact with you like this. I really did mean to greet you in person, but the medical database has detected a malignant tumor in my right lung."

"What?!" gasped Jinx. "So, that means that you…."

"Right, if I step out of that stasis tube I'll die." Jinx swallowed a large lump in her throat. "I'd have about three minutes, five tops. This method of stasis can keep you alive for a very long time, but I guess it falls short of granting you immortality. Eventually age catches up with you."

Jinx folded her arms. "Where is everyone, and by that I mean not just the Titans; I mean everyone in the city." Raven nodded. "Is the whole world like this?"

"Well I….I honestly don't know. The chamber wakes me up every now and then and the last time I was conscious scientists were talking about space exploration. I suppose mankind has begun colonizing other planets, they've simply left Earth."

"So…….I have traveled forward in time then, haven't I?" asked Jinx sadly.

"Yes, yes you have. If the situation wasn't so grim I'd probably congratulate you. Now you really are one of us." Raven paced around, her image would flicker somewhat as she moved. "For weeks we thought you were dead, it wasn't until clues started coming up that we finally realized what happened to you. Based on what happened with Starfire some time ago, we came up with a plan."

"Wait-Wait, Starfire? This happened to her too?"

Raven chuckled. "Like I said, you're one of us now. She tried to stop a thief from the future and wound up being hurtled twenty years forward."

"You're saying that this-" Jinx gestured to the world outside a nearby window. "This is what twenty years in the future looks like?"

"You….haven't traveled twenty years, Jinx. The tower has a record of the last time you entered the premises."

"And…?"

"It's more like twenty…two?" Jinx was not only not convinced but now also irritated. "….thousand." The pink haired girl quite nearly suffered a heart attack. Her knees gave out and she fell onto a bed. "Jinx…"

"Twenty-two thousand years?!"

"Give or take a millennia."

"This can't be happening-this CANNOT be happening!" shouted Jinx.

"I really wish I had better news for you," said Raven apologetically. Jinx wiped her eyes dry and stood up, taking in a deep breath as she went.

"Okay….okay, you said something about a plan right?"

Raven smiled again. "Yes, you and I are about to change thirty years of sad history." Jinx furrowed her brow. "I'm going to send you home, Jinx."

* * *

Yes! As you may have conjectured, mass flashbacks will ensue to make things even more so very clear. What do ya guys thing so far? Laters!


	3. That was then, This is Now

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween. I of course stayed at home doing homework. But after that my time was spent sitting on the couch watching TV and enjoying libations. And yes, I did dress up, for the kiddies who I gave out candy to. This year I was Indiana Jones and I have to admit to you my friends……wearing that hat felt so nice. Anyway! I thank you all very much for reviewing. It doesn't take more than two seconds and you all know that; **Somewhere In Time, wawaboy2, Sizzlin-Starry-Night-Sky, KF Fan, Skyler-A-Teloiv, Angelfly06, xStarfirexRobinxo, Realfanficts, Featherpen13, Adeya, Tennisgal456**. As always, you guys are the greatest. Enjoy!

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Chapter Three

That was then, This is now

Raven paced around, her image would flicker somewhat as she moved. "For weeks we thought you were dead, it wasn't until clues started coming up that we finally realized what happened to you. Based on what happened with Starfire some time ago, we came up with a plan."

"Wait-Wait, Starfire? This happened to her too?"

Raven chuckled. "Like I said, you're one of us now. She tried to stop a thief from the future and wound up being hurtled twenty years forward."

"You're saying that this-" Jinx gestured to the world outside a nearby window. "This is what twenty years in the future looks like?"

"You….haven't traveled twenty years, Jinx. The tower has a record of the last time you entered the premises."

"And…?"

"It's more like twenty…two?" Jinx was not only not convinced but now also irritated. "….thousand." The pink haired girl quite nearly suffered a heart attack. Her knees gave out and she fell onto a bed. "Jinx…"

"Twenty-two thousand years?!"

"Give or take a millennia."

"This can't be happening-this CANNOT be happening!" shouted Jinx.

"I really wish I had better news for you," said Raven apologetically. Jinx wiped her eyes dry and stood up, taking in a deep breath as she went.

"Okay….okay, you said something about a plan right?"

Raven smiled again. "Yes, you and I are about to change thirty years of sad history." Jinx furrowed her brow. "I'm going to send you home, Jinx." The purple haired young one could hardly keep her excitement contained.

"Home…y-y-you mean….through time right?" The holographic Raven rolled her eyes.

"Well of course, how do you think we're going to get you home? The 9am bus?" Jinx folded her arms, now looking miffed. "Oh forgive me; I've just been on ice for so long. Come on, this way." Raven walked out of sickbay, her image flickering as she did. Jinx soon joined her in the hall and they began walking.

"Where are we going?"

"Sub-Basement 2," replied Raven. "Like I said, we can send you on your way but it's a risky business. For it to work properly there have to be precise atmospheric and polar anomalies occurring."

Jinx continued to find herself amazed. "So you're telling me that you all built a time machine…..you actually built a time machine?"

"And let me tell you it's not an easy thing to manage, took about thirty years to put the finishing touches on it."

"How did you do this, all of this?" asked Jinx wondrously. Raven slowly stopped walking, presumably to catch her breath and again her likeness flickered. She then continued on after a moment of heavy breathing. Jinx followed at her side.

"Well we didn't start off on it right away. I'm really sorry to say that Kid Flash was the only one who didn't immediately think you were a goner." This did dispirit Jinx somewhat, but it was still uplifting to hear that…..he didn't give up on her. "He really didn't talk much for a while either."

* * *

_"Ow! Ohhh…..e-everyone? Is anyone okay?" Following Starfire, everyone was soon either sitting or back on their feet. Gnarrk used himself as a shield by completely wrapping himself around Kole, thus she was unharmed. Raven helped Robin upright, a gesture he promptly thanked her for. Robin dusted his gloves off and noticed Kid Flash standing before a smoking crater. The boy wonder approached him from behind and hung his head._

_"I'm sorry." Kid Flash barely heard him. He blocked out everyone and everything except for the blackened hole before him, and the new yellow communicator in his hand……the one he had planned on giving Jinx just hours ago. Robin glanced back at the now silenced speedster._

_"What now Rob?" he heard Cyborg ask. Robin turned to Cyborg with a hard look._

_"Find him, find Dr. Light now!" He nodded but they were too slow to act. A rush of wind blew past all of them so quickly it nearly forced them back to the ground. Robin recovered off a wall and stared down the empty tunnel. "Check that, we better find Kid Flash first."_

_The aforementioned hapless criminal stumbled along the sewer tunnels. The technology of suit was utterly ruined thus he was without a means to defend himself. A sound far behind him charged into his ears and he stopped dead and looked back fearfully. He saw no one, not even the Titan that normally would have easily scared him into submission. He felt a light gust of wind and shivered; perhaps this meant he was nearing an opening. Upon turning around however, he came face to furiously enraged face with Kid Flash._

_"Wait! I-OPF!" Kid Flash seized him and the two were gone in a vermillion streak. Dr. Light felt the skin on his face moving against the g-force of Kid Flash's movements. The feeling of being lifted off the ground and raucously taken over thousands of miles quickly ended and when it did he saw that he and Kid Flash were in a hot and almost desert-like area._

_"Just you and me now," snarled Kid Flash. Still holding on to the villain he dragged him forward then nearly threw him down an enormous ravine. Dr. Light's feet balanced on the edge of the cliff while Kid Flash's hands kept him aloft. "You're gonna talk, now."_

_"OKAY-OKAY! W-W-What do you want to know?!" Dr. Light's cooperation was still not nearly enough to cool Kid Flash's temper._

_"Jinx.."_

_"W-Who?"_

_"SHUT UP!" Screamed the speedster. "JUST…..just shut up!" He forced himself to regain a meager amount of composure. "The girl, who tried to stop you…" The villain's eyes darted about in an effort to recall the mental image. Finally, Jinx's face resurfaced in his mind and he went back to staring up at his captor._

_"Her…"_

_"What happened to her?"_

_"I-I don't know-NAA I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted as his initial response roused Kid Flash's anger again. "I swear I do not know! If she interfered with the device then she's probably dead."_

_"NO!" He wrenched Dr. Light forward then poised him even further off the edge. He roamed his eyes up and down Dr. Light's suit, looking for anything that resembled a clue. "Alright, you're a blockhead but you're not dumb enough to get stuck in your own trap, are you?" He shook his head madly. "No you're not, so let's have it. What was the plan?"_

_"My suit was…was equipped with a temporal displacement field. At the right time it would activate, temporarily remove me from the timeline, then reinsert me and I would be safe from the detonator!" He rattled off his preparations at record speed. Kind Flash thought long and hard. He was able to generate a vague assumption from what Dr. Light said, but it was still a little over his head. He was going to need help figuring out the rest._

_"Okay, six million dollar question; who gave you this tech?" Dr. Light bobbed his head about, uttering incoherent gasps between long breaths._

_"But….h-he won't do business ever again." Kid Flash's eye twitched._

_"Look man! If I do what I'm seriously thinking of doing, that's going to be the least of your problems!" At this point in time the hapless criminal needed very little convincing. He swallowed the golf ball sized lump in his throat._

_"Chang………...it was Chang." And that was it. Kid Flash had everything he could get out of Dr. Light, now came the decision as to what to do with him. His racing thoughts were in maximum overdrive, never slowing down for anything but thoughts on how to make the man in his hands pay. However, Robin's voice through his comm. link broke the tense silence._

_"__**Kid Flash? Kid Flash, respond.**__" The red and yellow hero said nothing. He and Dr. Light simply continued to engage in a most one sided staring contest. They then heard Robin utter a sigh. "__**Kid Flash, your locator has you, and oddly enough, someone else on the edge of the Grand Canyon. I really hope you're not doing what I think you're doing.**__" Dr. Light's eyes briefly darted down to Kid Flash's comm. link. His silence was the same as yelling back that he most certainly was doing just what Robin feared._

_"__**Let him go, Wally.**__" Robin's voice was firm and unwavering. "__**There's nowhere for him to go, we'll send someone to pick him up. Now let him go.**__" Kid Flash engaged in a mighty struggle within himself; to let go or not to let go? That was the question indeed. Very unceremoniously, he yanked Dr. Light forward and threw him to solid ground. There followed a strong gust of wind and the villain saw that Kid Flash had promptly taken his leave._

* * *

A set of double doors opened, allowing passage to Jinx While Raven merely materialized within the new corridor.

"After that he disappeared," said Raven. "He ditched his locator and comm. link somewhere in the Amazon and we didn't seem or hear from him again for eight months." Jinx had been holding her arms behind her back as she listened. "We took shifts, covering Star City as well as our own. I guess it goes without saying Titans Tower got pretty cranky some days."

"I'm sorry," whispered Jinx. Raven stopped and turned back to her. "This was not supposed to happen."

"Of course not," replied Raven with a grin. "That's why we're fixing it. And it's not your fault, these things happen." Jinx tore her gaze from the floor and gaped at Raven oddly.

"They do?" The aged Azarathian shrugged apologetically.

"Welllllll……they do to us." They finally reached a large set of double metal doors, obviously well above two feet thick, and a code key pad on the wall beside it. Raven stopped before it and Jinx saw several random numbers light up and enter on their own. It perplexed her for a moment but she readily assumed it was Raven wielding her mental influence. Slowly and with a low hum, the doors parted and the two Titans entered Sub-Basement 2. Much of the room was shrouded in darkness, though Jinx knew well that it sheltered a great deal of space. The only well lit point within was an array of slightly raised metal platforms. Jinx's eyes tried to focus enough to be able to cut through the darkness.

"Jinx?"

Her attention snapped back to Raven. "Yes?" Raven delicately pointed to one of the platforms.

"I'm not actually here with you, as you know. So you need to stand here to activate it."

"You mean the time machine?"

Raven shook her head. "This will initiate a system that will allow us to calculate the specific conditions and time on which we'll act." Jinx bore a look similar to Beast Boy when he was told how to repair the T-Ship. Raven sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Just stand here." Jinx tip toed over to the platform and the moment her feet touched the metal lights everywhere came to life. They switched on in a graceful succession, thus she was not blinded by them. Jinx's mouth slacked open as she soon saw before her an apparatus which closely resembled a large gyroscope. The surrounding tech and wiring gave off a light blue hue; no doubt Cyborg was never able resist adding a piece of himself to everything he built. Raven couldn't help but smile as she watched Jinx become increasingly overwhelmed by the Titan's crowning achievement. "All of this…." Jinx's eyes wandered to the long haired Raven. "This represents everything we learned over the years, all our knowledge is personified with this machine."

"I thought it was impossible…"

"So it was believed," agreed Raven. "But as a famous Titan leader once said; 'We've done the impossible before'. So why not do it again?" Jinx went back to ogling at the technology and nodded with a giggle. "We've been able to keep the power going for so long by tapping into geothermal energy." Now that she had a more complete access, Raven brought up a holographic image of the earth slowly circling the sun. Jinx restrained herself from uttering an awed "Oooohhh." The image produced was clearer and more vibrant than any other hologram she'd previously seen, with the exception of Raven who looked positively life-like. Raven studied the projection for a moment, then waved Jinx over to her. "Here, look at this." Jinx hesitantly stepped off the platform but everything remained running when she did. She now stood beside Raven.

"What am I looking for?" asked the sorceress.

"There's a polar resonance that peaks every time the Earth's axis reaches a certain position as it moves around the sun. The machine is tuned to that frequency." Jinx nodded. "With this, we should be able to predict when the next resonance will occur." They waited in silence while their live view of Earth's position continued to move. Then, with a series of beeps, the image froze and a red crosshair zeroed in on their quarry.

"Is that it?"

"Yes," said Raven. "Day after tomorrow, at 12:42 pm, a five minute window will exist." She deactivated the hologram. "And I can't stress the importance of making that date." Jinx shrugged.

"Why? If we miss it or try too late couldn't we just try again the next time it happens?"

"Well, you have to understand that we're still a bit primitive in this area." Jinx folded her arms. "We were afraid that if we try and fail even once the machine could just blow up."

"Uh huh."

"The machine will force open a tear into the space time continuum, your body will be dematerialized and sent over as a matter-stream and then rematerialized on the other side." Jinx merely ran a hand through her hair.

"Raven……what makes you think I wanted to know **any** of that?"

"Well I just thought I should tell you so that the shock won't-" Raven hadn't meant to bring it up, but it slipped out nonetheless. It quickly became clear to Jinx and she chuckled as irony wound an arm around her shoulder. She began pacing around the machine. "Even if it does work you should know…." Raven's voice dropped. She hated burdening Jinx with a constant flow of worries, but to be untruthful was to make things worse. "It's not going to be a pleasant trip, Jinx." She looked quite calm at the news, and why not? Her day had been nothing but a constant bombardment of one bit of bad news after another. "Well what do you want me to do? Lie to you?"

"YES!" shouted Jinx. "Please Raven, please lie to me just a little bit. I don't care if it's not true I just want a little more hope to lighten up my hope**less** situation." Her mouth motioned to speak on but her voice failed her. Jinx held back tears and instead fast walked out of the large room. Raven watched the doors slowly slide shut, she disappeared, and the machine as well as the lights darkened.

* * *

Jinx slowly walked up and down the deserted halls of Titans Tower. With each section that she reached a low level light would illuminate her path then shut off as soon as she passed. She felt as though she was a foreigner touring the halls of an age old museum. Jinx's eyes locked on to a door while she still walked; eyeing the faded and scratched name, _St..fi.e_. Only when she was forced to crane her neck did she look away. She instantly reminded of several conversations she shared with Kid Flash. She was shocked by his sudden appearance and even more so by his offer to join them against the Brotherhood.

_"You want me to do what?!"_

_"Well you looked bored, trust me it's worth it."_

Then after their victory he showed her something that left her taken aback. Kid Flash brandished plans for a much smaller version of Titan's Tower; they're 'new pad' as he called it. Jinx remembered that she was mere seconds away from declining. She was not the fulltime hero-type and it would just be weird. How she wished she had told him how much she loved the idea; the idea of finally hearing name being spoken by the public in a positive tone. It seemed sappy and quite namby pamby but the thought of protecting a city of her own like her former enemies ignited a previously unknown fire in her belly. She just had to get home, if not for her own sanity then for everyone else's sake. From the looks of things, it didn't turn out well after she left.

* * *

Jinx stepped into sickbay, just as she predicted it was quiet and empty. "Raven?" It took a good minute but Raven did appear beside her. It happened so quickly that Jinx nearly jumped out of her skin. "Could you not do that right next to me?"  
"Sorry, it's a bit random. Do you need something?" Jinx took a seat on a nearby bed.

"Tell me everything."

"Everything?" Jinx nodded confidently.

"Yes. You guys didn't build that thing all in one night. I have a day and half here still so I want the whole story."

"I guess that's fair," agreed the old and tired Raven.

"Good, now what happened to Wally?"

"Well like I said, we didn't know where he was for months. Then one day, out of nowhere, he just showed up."

* * *

I know. I know. We wanted to know what happened to Wally and I'm a jerk for stopping here. Well I told you this was a short story in all forms, means shorter chapters. But! That also means faster updates. See, ya gotta look for the silver lining here. More of this to come at later but SOON date. Until then my friends I bid you Adios!


	4. Letters Home

Sorry for the long wait on this story. Everyone knows all the different things that come up. Some times though its just laziness, and I am sorry about that. Thank you very much for the reviews last chapter;** KF Fan, Angelfly06, Featherpen13, Realfanficts, Nequam-Tenshi, Skyler-A-Teloiv, Tennisgal456, Anonymous Reviewer.** Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four

Letters Home

Jinx stepped into sickbay, just as she predicted it was quiet and empty. "Raven?" It took a good minute but Raven did appear beside her. It happened so quickly that Jinx nearly jumped out of her skin. "Could you not do that right next to me?"  
"Sorry, it's a bit random. Do you need something?" Jinx took a seat on a nearby bed.

"Tell me everything."

"Everything?" Jinx nodded confidently.

"Yes. You guys didn't build that thing all in one night. I have a day and half here still so I want the whole story."

"I guess that's fair," agreed the old and tired Raven.

"Good, now what happened to Wally?"

"Well like I said, we didn't know where he was for months. Then one day, out of nowhere, he just showed up."

* * *

_You're not going to have too many off days as a Titan but when they do come it's not really all that great. We can rarely plan to have a day off so normally we end up being bored out of our skulls. The day Wally returned was just such a day. I suppose criminals decided that had had enough for a day, so they did nothing. Much to Robin's dismay we couldn't really apprehend a known criminal unless they actually committed a crime._

_I say upon my corner of the couch reading some new vampire story a young fan had shoved into my hands, I think they were planning to make a movie out of it or something. Beast Boy was currently being nursed by Starfire as during training he had suffered a…well……serious injury._

_"It is a hang nail," said Starfire irksomely. Beast Boy moaned pitifully._

_"Are you sure, it hurts really bad…"_

_"I think you will make a full recovery," she said rising from his side. Cyborg couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he retrieved a generous snack from the fridge. Raven glanced over her book at him and rolled his eyes._

_"I'm serious dudes, this totally stings!"_

_Raven slammed her book shut. "You go through worse things fighting dangerous criminals on a daily basis. Put a band aid on it." In a huff, Beast Boy took flight from the common room in search of said band aid. Not long after he left Robin returned from the obstacle course outside. He seemed quite winded and dabbed his sweating face with a towel._

_"Robin! How went your trial through the course of obstacles?!" Asked Starfire brightly. He shrugged._

_"Eh, I've done better."_

_"Hey Rob," called Cyborg. "You're gonna want to see this." The other three present crowded around Cyborg and the metallic teen displayed camera footage of none other than Kid Flash standing at their doorstep. The image was grey and slightly fuzzy but it was without a doubt him._

_"Well this is…..unexpected," said Raven with folded arms._

_Robin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, so much for boring day. Let him in." Cyborg parted the large doors guarding the entrance and in the blink of an eye Kid Flash was in the common room. He was in their presence before they even turned away from the computer console._

_It was a little shocking to see him as he was. At least, I thought so anyway. It was clear he had only slept when he had to and that letting facial hair run amok was not a concern of his. A brown satchel was also slung over his shoulder. _

_Kid Flash trotted down beside Robin and grasped his shoulders like a madman. "Robin…..I know what happened to Jinx." Robin glanced to his left and right at his friends then carefully removed Wally's hands from him._

_"Wwwhy don't you rest for a minute then tell us what you learned-"_

_"NO! This can't wait, we can't wait!" He drew from the satchel a disk and held it in his trembling hands. "We have to act now!"_

_"Wally calm down," insisted Robin. But Wally was beyond reason. Robin knew the look in his eye, the very same one he had when he had been forced to fight an imaginary Slade. He sent Starfire a short nod and before the speedster could react she had zapped him in the back with just enough magnitude to render him unconscious. Robin bent down and picked up the disk. "Raven, take care of him."_

_I really hoped that it wouldn't involve something too mental or deep. Tapping into Robin's mind for a short time was as much of knowing someone __that__ deeply as I cared for. Starfire helped me gather him and we took him to sickbay._

_Raven and Starfire took to task cleaning up Kid Flash and mending a few sprains and broken bones. It begged one to question what he really went through just to get his vital piece of information. While preserving as much of his modesty as possible they removed him of his torn and dirtied costume and provided him with a new one. For the past few months Raven had been schooling Starfire on the basics of human anatomy and medicine, thus the Tamaranian now proved to be a valuable assistant. Kid Flashes recovery took a full four days and on the fifth he finally came to._

_We took shifts, keeping an eye on him day after day. It made missions a little stringent as one of us had to stay behind. But on that fifth day it was my turn and he came around._

_Wally groaned and blindly reached a hand up to his forehead. Raven quickly set her book aside and rushed over to him. He startled somewhat at her touch._

_"Easy," she said quietly. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself after we went through all this trouble."_

_"Raven?" he groaned._

_"Yes."_

_"Where am I?" She arched a brow at him. Had he been so far-gone that had in a sense been sleepwalking the whole time? Raven placed a glowing hand over him._

_"Titans Tower, you didn't look so good." She began checking him for any recurring injuries. He squinted his eyes as even the dimmed lights of sickbay caused him slight pain._

_"How long have I been out?"_

_"Five days," said Raven plainly. She picked up a chart next to his bed and read through some of the notes she and Starfire had made. "I don't know what hellhole you ran through but it sure did a number on you; dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and…….and a blister on your foot. Those are just the highlights; we also had to reacquaint you with two pints of blood. For all intents and purposes, you're lucky to be alive."_

_"Yeah well…..the disk! Did I still have it?!" HE said trying to shoot up from his bed. Raven intercepted him and forced him back down._

_"Easy killer, we have the disk you brought with you. Robin tried to look at it but it's been encoded." Wally settled back down on his pillow and sighed with monumental fatigue. "Wally, can you tell me what the password is?" His eyes were drooping._

_"Jinx…." Not another word. He passed into slumber right then and there. Raven sat beside him stock still. Her hands moved to shake him awake but their movements faltered. Instead, she pulled the blanket further over him. It was farfetched to believe they would be able to learn anything from him as soon as he woke. Just then however an idea came to Raven. She set the sickbay computer to alert her to any change and promptly departed to the common room._

_Upon entering she found that Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy were still hard at work trying to gain access to the disk's information. Cyborg even got the green light to try some hacking tricks. Raven wasted no time in giving them another idea._

_"Try 'Jinx'," she said. Robin swiveled around in his chair and sighed._

_"We did." The Azarathian's face fell._

_"It was the first thing we tried," added Cyborg. Starfire and Beast Boy looked just as somber at their so far unsuccessful efforts. "Heck we even tried 'Wally and Jinx'. So far…..nothing. I was just about to bypass the password altogether and scan the base code line by line."_

_"You can do that?" asked Raven._

_"Well, there's a risk that data could be lost. But I don't see how we have a choice."_

_"Wally woke up," she said quickly. They all stood up excitedly. "If we just give him time he'll be able to tell us." Robin was never keen on waiting; impatience was a difficult personality trait to beat._

* * *

Jinx held her legs up against her chest while she listened to Raven's story. The aged Titan paused for a moment. Jinx worked stiffness out of her neck and sighed.

"So, I'm guessing he eventually told you what the password was."

"Oh yes, he did. It was 'Jinx_TeenTitan'." A tiny smile painted over Jinx's face. Raven shrugged. "We were close I guess you could say."

"But……what happened to him, why was he so injured?"

"Well he never gave us the full story but apparently the people he had to question didn't really appreciate his methods or him being a Titan. When you have the biggest criminals in the world gunning for you, no one's fast enough." Jinx thought about Wally constantly ducking and dodging out of sight. She thought of him always hiding just so he could a way to save her.

"What happened then?" she asked.

* * *

_Wally gave us the password just as I thought he would the very next day. The disk contained several different files but the first one we saw was a set of blueprints and mapping._

_Cyborg's eyes moved from line to line, his mouth slightly ajar. Wally of course already knew what was on it but it was seeing the look on his friend's face that made him hold his tongue._

_"What is it?" asked Beast Boy._

_"They're plans for a Chronoton Detonator," said Robin. He looked back at Wally. "Where did you get this and why?"_

_"Because I think this holds to key to what happened to Jinx, she wasn't destroyed she was sent through time."_

_"Say what now?" said Beast Boy._

_Kid Flash stepped up beside Cyborg. "I got these from the same person Dr. Light did, Chang. And after I 'convinced' Chang to cooperate he gave me the names of other people who could shed further light."_

_"It is a fantastic theory," said Starfire. "But what proof is there to support it." Robin considered that a sound question and looked to Cyborg._

_"Well?"_

_Cyborg thought long and hard, constantly looking up at the plans and side notes. Finally he began snapping his fingers and jabbing and excited finger in Kid Flash's direction._

_"You know man; you might be on to something."_

_"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Beast Boy._

_Cyborg bounded up next to the screen to explain. "The Chronoton Detonator works by altering the fabric of space time in its blast radius. It creates a bubble and separates everything in range from the normal flow of time."_

_"Which was also how Light was going to protect himself," said Wally._

_Cyborg continued. "So let's say that Dr. Light, who let's face it isn't brightest bulb in the house, get's his hands on some bootleg plans from Chang and slaps it together. He sets his trap and lures us in and thinks he's got us in the bag. Then along comes Jinx, she causes the slightest malfunction…."_

_"And you get unknown and unexpected side effect," finished Robin. Cyborg nodded with a smile. Starfire looked absolutely amazed._

_"But this…this is incredible."_

_"That's not quite the word I would use," said Raven. "It it's true, and Jinx has been sent through time….which way did she go?" At this Cyborg's triumphant smile faded._

_"Oh yeah, well…that's one part that we can't figure out. If it did go down that way she could have been sent either way; past or future."_

_"Can we help her?" asked Starfire_

_"Only if she was sent to the future," said Wally. "On the disk is a head start on what we will need to theoretically build our own time machine." As if the theory of Jinx's fate was fantastical enough. "If she was sent to the future we can have the machine waiting for her when she shows up, whenever that is. If she went to the past however….." His voice trailed off. He didn't even want to think of their fifty/fifty chance._

_Robin took up the torch. "We just hope she went to the future, and that's what we'll plan for."_

_"What if while we're working on this thing she shows up because it only sent her a few weeks ahead of us," said Beast Boy._

_"I think that pretty much speaks for itself," said Raven. The quiet consensus that followed was basically everyone's order to begin working. They would not stop for another thirty years._

* * *

Jinx was now pacing around sickbay. Once she absently lost track of where she was going and actually walked straight through Raven's projection. The act unnerved them both but they quickly forgot about it.

"So why you?" she asked Raven. "Why were you the one who stayed behind?"

"Simple logic, the stasis tube would do most of the work while I helped it by periodically healing myself." Jinx looked away from the hologram and walked up to Raven's stasis tube. She was very old and her hair was milk white. She looked as though she were merely taking a nap. "You actually came in the nick of time; I'm not sure how much longer I could keep this up."

"You guys spent years building this time machine?"

"Decades," replied Raven. Her face grew sad and tired; she sat down on a nearby bed. Jinx looked up Raven with concern and stepped back over to her.

"Raven?" She sat down beside her. "What is it? Please tell me."

The Azarathian's visage flickered again. She looked up into Jinx's eyes. "You don't wanna know."

"Yes, I do. I have to know what happens." Raven wished she had deactivated her program before she had showed her hand to Jinx. Now she had no choice but to continue into the darkest chapter of their history.

"We…we worked on the machine as often as we could. We literally turned our backs on having what bits of a normal life we had. Robin and Starfire even gave up on each other. There was simply…no time. Things would come up and threaten the world as they did now and again for us." Raven actually smirked a little. "Isn't that funny, to call something like that routine." Her smile was not long to last though. "Eventually, Slade made himself known again. As you can imagine, that caused all sorts of trouble in Titans Tower. Star City was the first to go, Wally never the tower again after we began building the machine. One by one, governments fell to Slade like flies to a bug lamp. Soon only a small portion of the United States was left, and Robin decided our latest attack on Slade would be the last. He was going to put Slade down for good."

"Did he?" asked Jinx.

Raven shook her head. "He planned the attack based on some intelligence we received from the resistance. What we didn't know was that Slade had infiltrated the underground and fed us the Intel." Jinx backed away slightly. "We walked right into a trap and found ourselves s-surrounded. There was no way out. He gave us the chance to surrender but….no. Slade brought the walls down around us, he showed no mercy. I was saved by two girders that crossed one another and blocked bits of concrete from crushing me, Cyborg and Beast Boy pretty much had similar miracles spare them."

"And…Robin and Starfire."

The holographic Raven flickered. "They weren't so lucky." Jinx's arms found the mattress behind her and it was all she could do to steady herself. Raven noted Jinx's weakened limbs. "They at least died together."

"Wait!" Said Jinx through a shaking voice. "A-Are you saying that Slade's attack started in Star City?" Raven nodded. Jinx nearly yanked every strand of hair out of her head. "If I had been there, I would be with Wally in Star City and we could have stopped him. We could have ended it there!"

"It wasn't your fault," assured Raven. "Especially this happened while you were giving your all as a new Titan. You can't blame yourself and honestly I won't let you." Jinx stood up and turned away. She hugged her arms to her sides. Raven was nearly out of options for lifting her spirits when she remembered something. Finally she could pass Jinx a small bit of good news.

"Jinx?"

"What?" she said curtly.

"Wally left something for you." As though she had speed powers of her own, Jinx whirled around and stared at Raven bug-eyed.

"H-He did? What?! W-W-Where?!" Raven, smiling, led her over to a computer screen where a simple thought brought it to life. Various icons displayed before them, with a more prominent one pulsing in the corner.

"He wrote you a letter," said Raven. "As he told me once, there's nothing like getting good old fashioned mail. Only this one's been waiting over two millennia to get to you." Jinx stared at the screen as though it were a swirling spiral. Raven lowered her head with a small smile. "I'll leave you be." Raven dematerialized a second later. Jinx looked around and found a computer pad beside other medical instruments. She connected the pad to the wall screen and immediately downloaded the letter. Once the transfer was complete she took the pas back to the bed and sat down to read it. She tapped the icon on her small screen, bringing up the letter before her eyes.

_Hey Jinx, this is going to be the most colossally stupid question in the history of stupid questions…..but how ya doing?_

Jinx had to pause and laugh. Was there no end to his boyish quirks? How did he think she was doing?

_If you're reading this then we guessed right and you got sent to the future. Listen, I am so sorry for everything that has happened to you. I can't tell how far you've gone or what you've seen, but since you haven't come back by now….it's probably nothing good. You and Raven have probably already had this talk, but I hope you aren't racking yourself over the coals about this. I mean, yes…things went from bad to worse to just plain tragic. But if you can make it back then all of it will be undone, we can change the past. If things do go south though, there's something I want you to know; something important._

Jinx repositioned herself as her heart skipped a beat.

_Jinx, when I first saw you with the Hive Five I thought you were kind of cute. And I gotta say, I really __really__ didn't take you for the unicorn type. I don't know, maybe it's just because you struck me as someone who was into both pink and skulls…..that didn't come out right. It's not that I thought you were into really weird stuff, just not mythical creatures with….you know what I'm getting off topic here. Let me start over._

The new Titan rolled her eyes up at the ceiling.

_Okay, here we go. Jinx, that first rose was just me flirting with a cute girl. The second rose was to ask you out on a date, later that is. And the third rose was me telling someone how beautiful she is and how much I love her. I hope you make it back Jinx. I hope you make it back so I can tell you all of this in person. You'd probably make fun of, the amount of times I'd stutter. I mean seriously, even writing this, I've had to press 'backspace' like five hundred times now. Just come home Jinx, we'll be waiting for you._

_The super hot guy who left all those roses for you,_

_Wally_

Jinx set the pad down on beside her and leaned back against the cushion of the mattress. Did he really mean everything he said? Apart from all the goofiness and buffoonery anyway. Jinx had long ago promised to get home but she was determined like never before, if not just for her and Kid Flash's future but that of everyone else as well. It simply boggled her mind how one person can make such a difference. She would. She would not let their sacrifices and toils go to waste. She was going home, whether the forces that sent her to the future liked it or not.

* * *

Well only one chapter left for this. I told you guys it was a short story. Don't fret, I'll give it a bit of time and give you guys a pretty good conclusion. Laters! And Happy New Year!


	5. The Journey Home

Alright my friends it has come at last, the end of yet another story. I hope you've all enjoyed it. Yeah this last chapter is much longer than any of the others but hey……it's the last chapter. I actually thought up this plot a few years ago but just now got around to it. Weird. NOW! I'd like to kindly thank everyone who reviewed because you guys make it worthwhile; **Featherpan13, KF Fan, Lizzpercrush, Skyler-A-Teloiv, Angelfly06, Music16, Tennishgal456, Chocokittins.**

* * *

Chapter Five

The Journey Home

Jinx set the pad down on beside her and leaned back against the cushion of the mattress. Did he really mean everything he said? Apart from all the goofiness and buffoonery anyway. Jinx had long ago promised to get home but she was determined like never before, if not just for her and Kid Flash's future but that of everyone else as well. It simply boggled her mind how one person can make such a difference. She would. She would not let their sacrifices and toils go to waste. She was going home, whether the forces that sent her to the future liked it or not.

* * *

THE NEXT MORNING……..

"Jinx….Jinx wake up!" Groaning irritably, Jinx's eyes slowly opened at Raven's prodding. Soon the blurry form of Raven before her focused. Jinx sat up, shaking her head of fatigue.

"What is it? It's five in the morning."

"Yeah sorry, but we have a problem."

"I'm waiting for words like that to get old," mumbled Jinx. She rose out of the hospital bed and followed the holographic Raven to a wall screen. With a wave of her hand Raven brought the screen to life. It showed them digital representations of three circuit breakers.

"So what am I looking at?" asked Jinx.

"These breakers feed power into the time machine," said Raven. "I was running a diagnostic this morning, and there's a problem with breaker two. The power isn't reaching the time machine's buffer." Jinx roamed her eyes over the screen. "In fact similar power failures have been happening over the past week."

"So what do we do?" asked Jinx.

"The conduits have to be repaired."

"Where are they?"

Raven dreaded this. "They're located within the T-Sub docking bay."

Jinx screwed up face. "I don't get it Raven; I thought the lower parts of the tower were flooded." Raven nodded while scratching the back of her neck. "Are you telling me they're underwater?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Wonderful!" exclaimed.

"There is a merging option, we can force the needed power through the two other remaining breakers but that's not something we really want to try."

"And why is that?" asked Jinx, rubbing her forehead.

"The machine's unstable as it is, forcing that much power into it at one time will probably cause an overload." Jinx couldn't help but chuckle to herself. It was ironic how advanced things were in this time period and yet they were so utterly useless that it was just too funny.

"This just isn't my lucky week," muttered Jinx.

"Look I wouldn't put anymore pressure on you but I'm nor really in a position to do anything about it. You're the only one who can get down there and make repairs. And I don't think I need to remind you that we're on the clock here."

"No, you don't," said Jinx solemnly. "Alright, what do I do?"

Raven smiled. "Okay, there's an access point here…" She pointed to a display outside the tower. "Now listen carefully, repairing gel-pack conduits can be a tricky business."

----------

Once Jinx had been given a concise, albeit still a little complicated, repair training she and Raven stood in the main entrance hall. Jinx hated the idea of having to once again dip into the icy water around the tower. However this time she was given a wet suit which Raven told her would keep her fairly warm. Jinx pulled on the last of her suit, which fit her body quite snuggly.

"Ready?" asked Raven.

"Not exactly, where's my air?" asked Jinx gesturing to the lack of oxygen tanks.

"Ah, right. Inside your tools," said Raven. She pointed to the pouch Jinx had set off to the side. The pink haired heroine sifted through her tools until Raven saw her hand pass over a special item. "That one right there." Jinx pulled out a block metal ring which, if Jinx sized it up correctly, appeared to fit around one's neck. "Put it on," ushered Raven. Jinx was understandably hesitant but slowly opened the ring and clasped it around her neck like a thin metallic dog collar.

She shrugged. "Now what?"

"Give it a tap, anywhere." Jinx's index finger lightly tapped the surface of the ring. At once a thin clear film sprang up from the collar and covered her mouth and nose. Jinx stood stunned for a moment. She prodded the bubble, and it felt as though her finger was passing through jelly.

"What is this?" her voice was muffled slightly.

"It's a semi-permeable membrane; the water it lets in gets converted into oxygen. Also there's a microphone built so we can communicate." Jinx tapped the collar again.

"More future stuff huh?" she said marveling at the device.

"Just try not to break it, we only have the one," said Raven. Jinx nodded while turning away.

"I'll keep that in mind. Okay, be right back." Jinx used her powers to once again force one of the large doors open far enough to slip through. She walked down the hill closer and closer toward the ocean. It was a shame that she was being forced to spend a few hours underwater when the day was actually quite nice. The first thing she would do when she got home was take a nap outside in the sun. In no time at all Jinx reached the shoreline. She sighed regretfully, tapped the breathing collar, and dived down beneath the sea. The water around the tower was very dark and full of tiny sea creatures. She was able to discern the massive pillar of land on which the tower was built. Needless to say Jinx felt easily dwarfed by its sheer size. Bringing her mind back to her task, Jinx switched on a light strapped to her wrist and began swimming around the island.

"_Jinx, can you hear me_?" Raven's voice came through the bud in Jinx's ear.

"Loud and clear," replied Jinx.

"_Good, I've got your locator. You should be right over the access chute; dive a little deeper_." Jinx did as she was told. Just as Raven had said, the access tube was directly in front of her. She was about to punch in the access code to open the door when she noticed something that was both odd and unsettling.

"Don't think I'm going to need that code Raven."

"_Why_?"

Jinx felt around the rough and jagged edges of the large hole that was made in the door. "The door's burned through." Raven didn't immediately answer, giving Jinx the impression that she was silently thinking.

"_Come back, we'll find another way_."

"Last I heard the only other way was to use that overload button. Raven you know there isn't any other way."

"_If something's down there you could be just like that door, our future is going to be pretty bleak if our only hope ends up as a puddle of goo._" Jinx rolled her eyes and began swimming inside.

"You're breaking up Raven."

"_Jinx! No Jinx! Come back!_" She didn't get a reply back from Jinx. Raven sighed. In a slightly angered voice she said, "_You just be careful, understand?_"

"Yes mom, I understand." Said Jinx shaking her head. Her arm light led the way through the chute, which turned out to be quite a tight fit. One her other arm Jinx glanced at a screen showing her the path she was taking versus the way to the damaged conduits. Finally the long small tunnel opened up into the large flooded chasm that previously served as the T-sub's dock. The state of the dock was quite haunting. The main doorway that used to lead to the upper floors was entirely blocked by debris. Large metal girders formed an intricate web of wreckage within most of the length of the dock. Worst yet was the sight of the T-Sub laying in many pieces at the bottom except for one of the pods which hung daintily by one of the girders before her.

She almost shuddered at the thought of actually witnessing the downfall of this particular room. The only way to take her mind away from it was to return to the task at hand. Using her small computer to guide the rest of the way, she swam up to the damaged conduits. The exposed fibrous wiring slowly pulsed on and off with a red glow. Jinx narrowed her eyes as the damage.

"I found them."

"_How bad is it?_" asked Raven.

"I'm pretty sure I can fix it." Jinx reached into her pouch. It floated around her quite freely on its tether. Her tools were designed to work underwater. The small torch she used gave off a few bright sparks but nothing her eyes couldn't get used to. As she switched between tools she began to think out loud. "It almost looks like they were…..bitten off."

"_Probably our mystery guest, don't waste any time._" Jinx worked on. It was difficult to hear underwater but subtleties could be detected. Such a sound met Jinx's ears and she whirled around in place with a gasp. She shined her light in random places. The feeling of being watched and followed was unmistakable. There were plenty of places to hide in het darkness and behind the myriad of downed girders. Jinx swallowed hard while her eyes darted in all directions. "_Everything okay?_"

"Y-yeah….this is just way creepy." She turned back to her work found her tool floating nearby. "I'm almost done." Her shaking hands returned to the circuitry and went back to work. Her arm that bore the flashlight was shaking so hard that she was forced to quickly grasp her wrist and hold it steady for a moment. Only when her nerves calmed did she released her hand. "Can't wait to get out he-" The meager amount of light around her suddenly became shadowed. She turned but a large scaly hand tightly grabbed her. "RAVEN!"

----------

Inside sickbay, Raven dashed up to the monitor showing the dock and a blue dot denoting Jinx.

"Jinx?! JINX!" Raven's aged eyes flew to the Jinx's locator. "Jinx?" The small blue locator flickered in quick succession and then faded from view entirely. Raven, even in holographic form, felt weak at the knees. "Oh God…."

* * *

ELSEWHERE………….

Even though Jinx was sure she was as good as dead, she soon found that she was wrong; at least for the moment. Her groggy head slowly but surely returned to consciousness. Jinx groaned from the pain of where she was suddenly seized. Despite an enormous urge to fall back asleep, she forced her eyes to open. Jinx found she was in a damp cave which was dimly lit by exposed wires that ran through sections of rock. Running through the red earth were also many pipes of varying size. Her attention was grabbed by the frightening sound of something dining hungrily and greedily. Ahead of her, a long lizard like creature sat hunched over scraps of metal and clumps of wiring; it glutinously sank its teeth into the scraps and tore large pieces of free.

'Okay, a swimming lizard that eats metal,' thought Jinx. Her eyes roamed around the cave and to her horror she saw the nearly mummified remains of human skeletons. 'Uh oh.' Jinx immediately tried to move but her arms remained at her side. Looking down she saw with disgust that her hands and feet were stuck firmly in place by a gelatinous muck.

"uhhh…..eww…" She thought of using her powers to get free, but that could alert the creature to her movements. She began trying to activate her ear bud by bumping that side of her head against her shoulder. After several failed attempts she let out a quiet frustrated growl. "Come on…" She tried again with more force and her ear piece switched on. She bit back her discomfort when a high pitched screeching filled her ear. Not soon enough it cleared and a low static was left behind. The creature stopped and began looking around. Jinx quickly closed her eyes, pretending to still be unconscious. Bravely, she peeked open one eye to get a look at its front. Its face greatly resembled the alien from Predator and looked around the room with four slanted eyes. Tiny spikes and sharp edges grew out of several areas around his body. The creature went back to its meal. Jinx took several breaths before talking quietly into her collar.

"Raven…..Raven are you there?" The reply of white noise gave Jinx the depressing feeling that she was far too deep beneath the earth. Jinx prepared herself to tear through her bindings and most likely face a gruesome death.

"_Jinx!_" Her eyes bulged at Raven's voice.

"Raven!" Jinx silently exclaimed.

"_Jinx you nearly aged me another hundred years_," said Raven through a chuckle. "_Where are you, you're locator's no longer registering._"

"I don't know," said Jinx looking around. "Somewhere underground, I think." She gazed back at her only companion. "I do however think I know what's been causing your power failures."

"_What is it?_"

"Some…..thing, I guess Godzilla and the Loch Ness monster had a baby." She tugged at the slimy bindings again. "I can't move. There's some kind of slime holding my arms and legs."

"_I'm going to try to amplify your locator signal._" A moment later Raven began talking as though she was unsure and narrowing her eyes. "_It looks like you're closer to the mainland. The cave must be in the general vicinity of a natural gas plant_."

"Explains all the pipes," said Jinx. "Look Raven, I don't mean to be rude but I would like to get out of here sooner rather than later. He's almost finished with dinner and I'm guessing I'm dessert."

"_There has to be a way out somewhere nearby, just cause enough commotion and find it._"

"Good advice," said Jinx sarcastically. She looked all over the cave floor for anything that looked like a watery exit. It was so dark and murky that the slightest puddle could be where they came in. Jinx knew her time was quickly running short. The time to act was upon her, whether she knew where she going next or not. She had to act. The creature threw away the last of the edible sheet metal and stood up on its hind legs. Jinx's eyes dully followed him all the way up. When he was finally stretched to his full height the creature easily stood twelve feet. Her lower jaw trembled at not just his domineering size but also his oversized webbed fingers. Jinx saw a long thin tongue flick out of its mouth and sniff the air. Abruptly he turned his head to her and issued a low hiss. The creature took one step toward her and Jinx was snapped out of her trance.

"Oh no you DON'T!" Her hexing powers broke away the slick bindings. The creature shrieked unearthly at her escape. Jinx leapt to her feet shot her powers up at a rock above his head. The large piece of earth fell upon the creature causing it to utter another bone chilling screech. Jinx took this opportunity to quickly search for a way out. Her arm light barely worked but it did help to bring some light to the dark corners. Everywhere she looked was nothing but solid cave floor

"AH!" She cried out as something thick and solid shot past her head. Jinx rotated her head back to see the creature retracting a long tentacle that had shot out from one of its oversized fingers. The former Hive agent sprinted along the labyrinth of caves walls and nooks. Everywhere she went Jinx was bombarded with the pounding attacks from the tendrils emerging from each of the creature's fingers. Both her training in the Hive and her short time with the Titans came into full blossom. The creature flung his retractable tentacles about like several bullwhips. The resulting shrapnel scratched and cut Jinx on various areas of her body. Her eyes bulged at the sight of one of the tendrils heading her off and gearing to clothes-line her to the ground. A near instinctual reflex allowed Jinx to perform a beautiful aerial clear over the tentacle. Right after Jinx came out of her flip she released another wave of energy at her foe. The pulses of bad luck caused the tentacles of one of his hands to become tangled and twisted. This did not deter the raging monster for long, as it only fueled his primal rage. From his mouth, he spat a large wad of slime which caught Jinx at the ankle. The thick sticky gunk stopped her dead in her tacks and she fell flat on her stomach with a painful grunt. Her eyes scrunched shut from the pain but they snapped back open when the creature stood over her. She turned up on her side just as he raised a mighty arm into the air. She rolled over as far as she could to avoid the powerful downward strike of his arm. She blasted him away with a point blank shot from her right hand. He flew across the length of the cave, letting out a long roar as he did. Jinx freed herself from the slime and stood ready once again. Breathing heavily, her eyes passed over a previously unnoticed pocket behind a stalagmite. Within the pocket was an opening which led down underwater. The problem was that the hole was not exactly within jumping distance and the monstrous carnivore was already recovering. She set herself in a defensive stance. As the creature stood upright he revealed a gas pipe that one of his elbow spikes had broken open. Jinx could already smell the pungent aroma. Her mind put the sight of the broken gas pipe and a plan together into one crazy idea. She and the creature actually looked each other in the eye for a moment. Jinx then cocked her head with a solute.

"See ya." The moment her hand released a quick burst of her powers Jinx was already turning and running away. The creature followed the path of Jinx's attack all the way to the broken pipe. It forced the broken pieces of scratch against each other; the resulting spark caused the leaking gas to erupt in a massive explosion. However Jinx was far from safe. She covered her face as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. All around her the pipes within the rock exploded and spewed volatile flames. As she got closer Jinx hope what she was wouldn't turn out to just be a deep puddle. She was a mere hop away from the hole and jump she did. Locking her arms to her side, Jinx sank all the way through the hole just the whole of the cavern was engulfed in flame.

----------

Within what remained of the tower's common room, Raven looked through the large main window. Her eyes roamed the beach around the tower in search of any sign of Jinx. Much to Raven's surprise a series of tall spurts of flame, like mini volcanoes, erupted near the edge of the mainland. Her face then widened into a wide smile when she saw a lone figure slowly swimming toward the tower.

* * *

NIGHTFALL……..

Jinx stepped out of the one and only working shower left in Titans Tower. She had a towel wrapped around her upper body as well as her head. It was both alleviating as well as disconcerting to walk naked but for a few towels through such an enormous and deserted place. On the one hand she needn't worry about running into anyone. However the fact that her footsteps were the only ones that could be heard was still creepy. Jinx made straight for the small enclosure as soon as she entered sickbay. Raven materialized outside of it and saw both towels being slung up over the top of the cubical.

"Rough day?"

Behind the shade, Jinx could only have rolled her eyes. "It figures that it would take you twenty-two thousand years to develop a sense of humor."

"It helps when you have certain obstacles removed."

"Tell me about it," said Jinx. She stepped out from behind the cubical. She dressed in the same nightgown as before and her pink hair was completely let down. Raven thought she looked rather nice without her hair kept up in its usual horned style. Jinx sat down on the bed and leaned against the wall. "Someone should really put up a sign: _Beware of man eating lizard squids_."

"Lizard squids?"

"Hey I dare you to take one look at one of those things and come up with something better," said Jinx giving her a sideways glance. Raven took a seat at the other end of the bed. Jinx steadily became aware of how intently the Azarathian was staring at the moonlight; as though it had become her nightly ritual. Jinx titled her head at her fellow Titan. She wondered just how much time Raven had actually watched go by, and to be all alone.

"How aware are you?" Raven slowly looked at her. "Really…." Her form shimmered like a garbled transmission. In this present form, Raven was unable to shed tears. Jinx reached out to take her hand but she merely passed through the holographic image. She looked up at Raven.

"I diverted power from the holo-emitters," said Raven quietly.

"I'm so sorry Raven-!"

"That's enough of that," said Raven sternly. "Tomorrow afternoon is our window. Like I warned you earlier, the trip isn't going to be comfortable. I suggest you get as much sleep as possible." She stood up and turned away from the window. "Good night Jinx." With that Raven's body dematerialized. Jinx took in a sharp breath and wiped her eyes. She had only been concerned with getting home and the pains of her own suffering, when perhaps it was Raven who all this time carried the heaviest burden; to wait here, for Jinx, all alone.

It was almost too much for Jinx to handle in one sitting. She needed something to take her mind off of it. She reached under the bed and retrieved the pad that had Wally's letter on it. Jinx wanted to read it over and over again, but as she turned the flat screen on she realized something in the upper left hand corner of the screen. She tapped the icon and the screen changed to an entirely different page. There were more letters from him. Just like the first one, Jinx eagerly kept her eyes glued to the screen. Mostly they told her about his day and what parts of the machine they finished or modified. He did make up for his absences of Star City by helping the Titans protect their own territory. She read for hours, due in most part to the fact that Jinx was reading many of them over and over again. Jinx was somewhat relieved to find out that the Titans didn't completely fall apart overnight. She was especially entertained by his retelling of a night in which they were all watching a horror film and he decided to play a prank on Beast Boy and Starfire. Although Beast Boy was thoroughly freaked but knowing it was only a joke, Starfire took his gag as an actual attack from an otherworldly monster.

Jinx laughed to herself whenever she pictured Starfire, up in the air, and raining starbolts down on Wally as he frantically tried to explain himself. No matter how hard she tried, Jinx soon found she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer and she drifted to sleep with the pad still in her arms.

* * *

The next morning passed by very slowly. Jinx and Raven did whatever they could to pass the time while they waited for their window to come close enough. Jinx even talked about some of the villainous pranks they pulled on each other while she was still in the Hive academy. To which Raven replied, "I'm sure the young me would be oh so glad to hear more about those."

Finally, the time grew close enough to where they had to begin preparing in order to make their mark. They both performed last minute checks on various pieces of equipment and vital systems. Jinx pulled herself out from under a console and closed it back up.

"I wasn't able to repair all of the conduits but power is getting through."

"Good, hopefully it'll stick," said Raven. She needed to only to stand in place and use the neural interface to access anything she needed. Raven stepped up to the main control console. It possessed no keyboard but only three wide screens slightly separated but small spacers. Raven stood before the screens, placed her hands forward, and blue translucent controls appeared at her fingertips. The holographic interface worked in perfect tandem with her every whim.

"Okay, we're shooting for an elapsed time of about…..a minute. That way we should still be in the sewer when you reappear."

"How do you know I won't end up in some random spot in the world?" asked Jinx. "Or any**where** else?!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we've made sure that won't happen," assured Raven.

"How?"

"We honestly don't have time for me to explain it." She tilted her head upward to glance at the time. "12:40 on the dot, two minutes….." She turned to Jinx and nodded. "Ready?"

What a question to ask someone who was about to be painfully hurtled backward across twenty-two thousand years. Were Jinx possessing lesser strength she might have fainted right then and there. Nevertheless she was a hero now and as the old saying goes: "Duty Calls."

"I'm ready."

Raven pointed to a smooth platform, which was just below the gyroscopic machine. "Stand there." Jinx walked over and stood on the metal sheet. Raven's fingers moved across the holo-keys fluidly and soon the platform was raising Jinx into the air. It stopped when it reached the center of the rings. There was a small compartment for Jinx to stand in and she needed no direction to know to get in. As soon as she stepped off the platform it lowered back into the ground and enclosure closed around Jinx, leaving only her face in view. Every inch of Jinx's body was shaking with fear. The sooner it was over the better. Raven stepped out from behind the console and looked up at her wither aged eyes.

"Good luck."

Jinx gulped. "T-thanks." Raven began turning away. "Wait! How do I change things when I get home?" Raven smiled up at her and shrugged.

"Just get home, trust me….that'll be change enough." The clock switched to 12:42 and the machine alerted them to the window's existence. Raven stole a quick glance at the console and a single thought activated the machine. It began as a low hum which quickly rose to a higher pitch. Jinx could see blue and white circuitry coming to life below her. The rings around her began to spin, slowly at first, but then with gradually more speed. Jinx could already feel a strange sensation flowing through her; like ants crawling their way to her head. She could also see Raven's visage beginning to fade away; the machine was draining every ounce of power the Tower possessed.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!!

Both girls were drawn to a shrill alarm coming from the main console. Raven dashed over to it and her face morphed into dreaded shock.

"WHAT IS IT?!" Jinx shouted over the machine's loud noise.

"THE BREAKER FAILED!" replied Raven. "THERE ISN'T ENOUGH POWER MOVING THROUGH THE CONDUITS!" She then remembered their one and only option of forcing the power they needed through the other two functioning breakers. The Azarathian's eyes darted over to a pulsing red button by the console Jinx had checked over. In and instant she flew over to it and pressed her hand down. Yet in her frantic movements she forgot that she was merely a hologram and her hand simply passed right through it. She growled in frustration and hysteria. Looking skyward, she saw Jinx staring down at her with a hopelessly glazed look. After all of this they were going to fail of because one bad wire?

NO!

Raven's voice was no more powerful than Jinx's at the moment so she mouthed the words, "you'll be alright", and disappeared. Jinx could hardly stand the sensations that now rippled through her entire body. The rings around the machine were now spinning so fast they were nothing more than a blur.

-----

The whole of the tower, from the rooftops to the foundations, was shaking and crumbling. Raven reappeared in sickbay; the image of herself was growing fainter. She stood before the stasis tube containing her actual self and drew in a heavy breath.

"Computer……..open stasis tube 3. Authorization Raven."

"_Warning, occupant has suffered severe internal damage. Restoration will result in rapid death._"

"OVERIRDE!" Shouted Raven. What was left of the computer beeped affirmatively. Raven rippled away into nothingness and soon after the stasis tube flew open. Raven, old and dying, fell out of her lifeline. Almost immediately her lungs began tightening. Their five minute window was closing fast as was Raven's time to act. Taking in wheezing painful breaths she softly muttered;

"azarath…..metrion….zin-inthos.." Her powers, long dormant and unused, gathered beneath her. Raven then back to phase down beneath each floor until at least she emerged through the ceiling of the basement. The machine's activity was so raucous it was a wonder it the tower didn't collapse right then and there. Jinx could see what Raven had done and loudly protested. Alas her voice was unable to overpower the volume of noise coming from the time machine. Raven's powers faltered halfway down and she hit the floor quite hard. Pieces of the walls fell apart around them. Raven's tired arms pulled her closer and closer to the still pulsing button. There was little more than a minute left before the window closed. Once Raven was within reaching distance she tired with all her might to stand up but her burning lungs forbade it. Her eyes were growing darker. She reached a shaking had up toward the button. Jinx was now shouting in agony from the machine's abuse. Raven stretched her arm as far as it could reach and her fingertips were still a fair distance away from their target. There was no time left and Raven knew she was dead either way. The Teen Titan forced every ounce, every bit, every last fragment of willpower she had left into her mind. A dark aura melted over the button and pushed it down.

The massive power surge that resulted flooded into the time machine. Raven fell to the floor and the last sight that her drooping eyes made out was that of a bright white light engulfing Jinx. The field then expanded and destroyed anything not within the time machine's special confines.

* * *

"Look man! If I do what I'm seriously thinking of doing, that's going to be the least of your problems!" At this point in time the hapless criminal needed very little convincing. He swallowed the golf ball sized lump in his throat.

"Chang………...it was Chang." And that was it. Kid Flash had everything he could get out of Dr. Light, now came the decision as to what to do with him. His racing thoughts were in maximum overdrive, never slowing down for anything but thoughts on how to make the man in his hands pay. However, Robin's voice through his comm. link broke the tense silence.

"**Kid Flash? Kid Flash, respond.**" The red and yellow hero said nothing. He and Dr. Light simply continued to engage in a most one sided staring contest. They then heard Robin utter a sigh. "**Kid Flash, your locator has you, and oddly enough, someone else on the edge of the Grand Canyon. I really hope you're not doing what I think you're doing.**" Dr. Light's eyes briefly darted down to Kid Flash's comm. link. His silence was the same as yelling back that he most certainly was doing just what Robin feared.

"**Kid Flash! Don't let him go!**" yelled Robin. Kid Flash's hands began to loosen and Dr. Light's eyes grew wider. "**We found Jinx!**" Kid Flash seemed to be stunned into a coma for a moment. He reaffirmed his grip on the villain.

"Say that again?"

----------

Robin smiled as he held his communicator to his mouth. Cyborg and Red Star were already gathering up the limp Jinx in their arms. Cyborg's scanners confirmed a steady heartbeat and he sent Robin a thumbs up.

"We found Jinx, and she's in more than one piece."

* * *

Jinx slowly woke in the familiar surroundings of a hospital bed. As soon as her eyes took in the sight of sickbay she began to groan. It had all been a dream. She was so excited about going home that she dreamt that the trip was a success. She was so obsessed that she was even seen Kid Flash sleeping in a chair at her bed side.

Wait a second.

Jinx hadn't hallucinated since her time under Brother Blood's tenure. Yet Kid Flash was sitting next to her bed, completely zonked out. Her gazed shifted to the window. It was the same window she had been looking out of for the past two nights but this time the view was entirely different. Jump City stood outside with its millions of tiny lights shining brightly. Jinx's eyes fluttered to a close and she let out a long sigh of relief.

"It worked….." Her voice, quieted as it was, managed to stir Kid Flash from his slumber. He straightened out of his slump and smiled at her.

"Hey, sleeping gorgeous."

"Oh now that is charming," whispered Jinx with a smirk. He chuckled. She detached herself from the device monitoring her heartbeat. "If it's okay with you I'd rather get out of **this** room as quickly as possible."

"Its fine with me," said Kid Flash. She began to rise but suddenly she was forced back down. Craning her neck around, she saw Raven holding her back. The Azarathian was her young self and looking as deadpanned as ever.

"But not with me," said Raven. Jinx sighed in manner befitting one who was too tired to argue. Moments later the rest of the gang entered sickbay. Starfire carried a bouquet of flowers, which consisted of so many varieties it almost looked like a fruit salad.

"Our friend! We are so glad you are unharmed!" She exclaimed while capturing Jinx in her gentlest crushing hug. She moved away and Robin took her place beside Jinx.

"This is definitely gonna make an interesting report."

"Yeah, and here we thought Star was the only one to zip through time," added Beast Boy. They all shared a laugh and when they quieted they noticed that Jinx was staring at Raven a bit vacantly. The dark haired Titan shifted her eyes somewhat.

"What?"

"Nothing really, you're just an incredible person." Raven shrugged.

"So they tell me." She put her hood back up and walked out of sickbay. Jinx chuckled and lay back down.

"Seriously, I don't think I could've gone through the past few days without her. I mean, I've never really appreciated what you all go through for this city or the world for that matter. I just wish it didn't take the end of the world to make me see that." Robin and the others exchanged knowing smiles. He extended his hand over the newly christened heroine, keeping his smile.

"Welcome to the Teen Titans." She took his hand, shaking it slowly. He nodded to his friends, signaling them to take their leave. Starfire of course protested and wanted to spend more time with their recovered teammate. Soon Jinx only had Kid Flash left for company.

"Soooo…….do we get our own tower?" she asked.

"Sure, it'll probably be a little smaller than this one……but it should be cool." She smiled and while keeping her eyes on him turned on her side.

"You know you're a really good writer."

"Huh?"

"Never mind." She bit her lower lip and fought back a surprise attack by a wave of tears. Kid Flash stood up and took her shoulder.

"Hey, you're home again. Be happy."

"I am……..I really am." He nodded with his signature grin.

"Good." Then, in an unexpected surge of bravery, he bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "Night." He seemed a little surprised by his own bravado and remained a bit close. He then awkwardly stood up, scratching the back of his neck. She however kept on smiling warmly. "Right…..I've gotta leave and….and fix that rusty gutter." He then quickly stepped out of sickbay. Jinx turned onto her other side, laughing as she went. She couldn't wait to move into their smaller version of Titans Tower. Of course years ago she would have sneered at the bond they all shared, and would have passed it off as nothing more than useless enthusiasm. Yes, her former fellow Hive agents had been the closest she possessed as far as friends. Yet with the Titans it was different and it was better.

She slowly drew the breathing collar Raven had given her for her job and turned about on the mattress. Maybe she would let Cyborg have it later, but for now she would keep it to herself. Jinx no longer felt alone, as she never really was to begin with. For no one who has faith and a just a single friend is ever alone.

The End

* * *

Well, this story is now over. Oddly enough this _short_ story took a _long_ time in order to finish. That's okay, anything to make it stretch just a little longer. Hope you all liked it. Laters!


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